Bonus 16: A roundup of quirks that work

When you have a “crazy” idea, don’t give up on it just
because it’s never been done before or other people tell you it’s unlikely to
work. Often the real breakthrough products or services are the ones that seem
too quirky at the start. Below are some example of quirks that have worked—let
them inspire you!

COMING TO A SITTING ROOM NEAR YOU

M

usical duo The Candle Thieves began a U.K. national
tour recently—of their fans’ back gardens. They used social networking sites to
arrange in-home gigs and sometimes spend the night at the fans’ houses as well.
The publicity spin-offs have included being written about in a national
newspaper.

WHAT GLAM EYES YOU HAVE, AUNT ROBERT

When Robert Suchan hosted his first Tupperware party he
decided that it would be more fun to do it in drag, channelling the personality
of his Aunt Barbara. It was such a hit that he now makes more from his
Tupperware sales than from his day job and is booked well into next year doing
five parties per week.

SHE’S MADE UP

Lauren Luke is an ordinary nice young woman from Tyne and
Wear who was selling make-up on eBay to earn some spare cash and put some
videos of applying the make-up to herself onto YouTube. Like you do. The clips
have now had more than 54 million hits world-wide. A manager saw them and
signed her. She now has her own make-up range that sells online and in 135
stores across the US, a book deal, a Nintendo DS game (“Supermodel Makeover”),
and is in talks with television producers about hosting her own show. Her deals
are estimated to be worth more than a million pounds.

THE PROFITABLE TABOO

Children’s author Werner Holzwarth spotted a gap in the
market: poo. He wrote a book called “The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It
Was None of His Business,” about a mole trying to find the “owner” of a poo. He
was turned down by all the major publishers at the Frankfurt Book Fair for two
years in a row. But now it has been translated into 27 languages, had a print
run of more than two million copies, and has also been turned into a musical.

THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOE BUSINESS

Having seen how children in the villages of Argentina often
didn’t have any shoes to wear, Blake Mycoskie wanted to figure out a way to
help them. Instead of a charity, he wanted to start a business that had
philanthropy built in. He designed a more durable version of the traditional
Argentinian style of shoe and began to sell them—for enough that each sale
would also pay for a pair of shoes for a child. Now Tom’s Shoes has given away
more than 150,000 pairs of shoes and is on target for 300,000 by the end of the
year. Not only that, the shoes he sells look cool and comfy (you can see them
at www.tomsshoes.com).

A (BIG) ROOM OF THEIR OWN

Duncan Craig and his girlfriend Eleen were tired of living
in a tiny flat in Wimbledon Park. Instead of just daydreaming about living in a
mansion in their dream area of Blackheath, they leafleted 100 homes in that
area. Their offer was to give help around the house, £40 a week, and
house-sitting in exchange for a nice room for six months while they saved to
buy. They had three responses. Now they live in a five-storey, multi-million
pound property, in a huge to-floor room served by its own staircase and door
and with views across the heath. They have their own bathroom and storage room.
They have become friends with the couple who own the house and enjoy the
company of their children and pets. The six months has turned into “indefinite”
residency—and meanwhile, Craig and Sue are saving £2000 a month toward the
deposit when they do buy their own place.

WHAT’S YOUR CRAZY IDEA?

Can you imagine what these people’s friends and colleagues
probably said to them when they announced their ideas? I’m guessing it was
something like this:

“Do a tour of gigs in people’s homes? What’s the point?”

“Do a Tupperware party in drag? That’s just weird!”

“A video of you putting on make-up in your living room?
Who’s going to care?”

“Write a kids’ book about a mole that wakes up to find a
turd on his head? That’s gross!”

“Start a business based on giving away much of your profits?
You’re just an idealist!”

“Find people who will let you live in their mansion for
practically nothing? Good luck!”

Do you have a “crazy” idea that makes people laugh or scoff?
You might want to print out this e-bulletin and hand it to them. Or just wait,
because the day may come when the laugh is on them. I believe it’s the people
with crazy ideas that make the world go ‘round.

HERE’S ONE OF I THOUGHT OF EARLIER…

Here’s one of my ideas: I want to help thousands of people
realize their dreams and their goals, both through my books and my Breakthrough
Strategy coaching program. My mission is to help you unleash your creativity on
an unsuspecting world—pretty crazy, eh? (If you want information about how to
join my Breakthrough Strategy coaching program to help you achieve your most
cherished goals, send an email request to BstormUK@aol.com.)

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